This blog is dedicated to musicians, fans and fanatics that brave the boundaries of FOUR. Its for Talkin', Playin', Writin', Debatin' and Pontificatin' about music that is outside of the restrictions of common meters. From toe tappin' to head bangin', we are genre biased free, Prog, Metal, Rock, Speed Comp, Electronic, Jazz, World, Classical and all flavors in between ...

Friday, September 30, 2011

Okay last day of the month of NINE - soon to be TEN which I am way more comfortable in... ehemmmmmm... So I am trying to get a resonate with NINE, but for now, I will just admire it from a distance, don't think its in my blood, but I appreciate the 9blood that out there..... even if its embedded in egoinstrumentalrock...

So what did you think? oh... same as me? a good song to practice to, to get a beginning feel of NINE, as in 8/4 + 1/4 or 4/4 + 5/4 or some 12/3/6s? great - hit the woodshed then...

Thanks again to my Frenchy oddmeterite David Taugis for having me notice this NINE.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

For some strange reason I've been cravin' some old skool metal oddness lately.... hummm, not much to choose from in that department (sans Fates Warning).... and all of a sudden along comes my Frenchy odd meterite David Taugis sayin' hello... its not all in four... duhhahh looky here...

I remember back in the late 80s seeing Loudness at the Paradise in Boston and they tried that involving the audience with repeat us rhythm thing... well I don't remember the exact rhythm but they sure stumped many a Bostonian Metalheads... it was pretty hilarious, they finally gave up... but not totally, I think they felt bad and thought that it would do us good if we had a drum lesson or two, so they threw out a very large Zildjian symbol into the audience (what happen to just plain drum sticks?) and a thought they were going to decapitate an innocent headbanger -

Thursday, September 15, 2011

(Really? Nobody's Laughing? What about giggling?)
Okay, now I can't stop giggling again... This time it not a french 5 but a Swedish 5 complete with its a white green-screen, long haired semi-tattooed boys trying to look mean while playing pop... and ohhhhh electrical taped-out male nipples (a Swedish statement?)... okay this is not the point again..

The point is that's Sweden's answer to Nickleback is playing a WHOLE song in 5/4... and its popular and it gets radio play... GOOD...

Thank you GuitarSean of Strangeland for pointing me to this, I think I would've blanked out to safety before I heard the 5.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

I can't help it... but I giggle through out this video... rude American I am... maybe... but it just makes me giggle. If I paid attention to the 8 years of french I was forced to take in my formative years then I might know what they were saying. But I don't... Alls I know is there is a bass player who sings and talker/rapper and the apparent drummer/producer/marketer/actor/some dude that is running,,, running away.... oh the shadow and light drama... but this is not the point...

The point is, this is french pop in 5/4 with almost 2mil hits on YouTube. I don't know much about this band Calogero, but super boulot pour jouer dans 5 à la masse.

I would've posted the video Calogero - L'ombre et la lumière (clip officiel) but the embed was disabled so here is the link: youtu.be/H46KRMzfj5s and to their stuff: Calogero.fr

Monday, September 12, 2011

Lately I have been getting into playing/writing (coming soon) in 5/4. Not 5/8 where its subdivided 2-3 or 3-2 but a straight 5, as in 4/4 + 1 = 5/4. This is a cool groove meter where its easy not to sound 'odd' if that's what you are going for. Feel this FIVE and see how Tool are masters of making the meters flow.

Friday, September 9, 2011

I like what Tool does with this 9/8, a 4+5 pattern, and to break it up a bit, there is also some 12/8, 18/8(8/8 + 10/8).

Did you feel it? I mean, reaaalllly feel it?, that nine melding with your etheric vibration, altering your brainwaves and opening your third eye? If not, listen to it until see those double-iris-eyed lizards, for they are there right in-front of you.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Today my friend, is your lucky day, that is, if you want to find love.... but only if you howl at the Moon..dog nine times at 4:00 AM for true love PM for love right now... but you have to be wearing a Viking hat and listening to this song for 9 times exactly when the hand strikes this hour.

Moondog is a rare artist that writes from his inner core with absolutely no distractions that I can detect. Today, September 4th, I want you to know that he is saying 'I Love You' in 9/4 with an eighth note swing feel (accents sound like 5/8 divided 32). This is not considered 9/8, but maybe a 18/8. Although Moondog is a master of rhythmic rounds, let us not sound too geeky and keep it at a 9/4.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Sometimes, okay well most of the time, I dream of having an unlimited stream of cash to fund certain artists (including myself) so that they (we) could just write and produce. Well, of course I would bully them into writing in 13 for me (part of the contract) but once that's out of the way, then its free reign. Now Peter would be in this category. I have the fantasy set up (not that's these cats don't have their own money, but I am talking unlimited) - him, David Rose (electric violin, fred, Transit Express), Gerry Brown (drums, Stanley Clarke), John Lee (bass, Larry Coryell) hit the record button and groove it until you can't no more. They are pure magic together. Then to continue my fantasy, I sit in (bass) and be even more fantastic... hahahaha... hey, don't interrupt my fantasy....

Peter Eggers is quite the talented composer/performer and this aforementioned magic is displayed and proven on his first two tracks (but not limited to) of this compilation. You just have to check this out. Now, the other compositions are keyboard based and take you on varied journeys, evoking emotions you forgot you had (this is not easy to do). And I swear I have heard some of these before in the theater or TV back in the day... hummmm, and I probably didn't catch the meter use,,,, too enveloped in the journey...

Friday, September 2, 2011

Nine is not a meter that grooves with me naturally. I need some inspiration... hint, hint... Got any? oh good, then send them along, would love to hear what you got... and so would many others... Send me your true 9, doesn't have to be all in 9, but if its a real 9 (9/4, 9/8, 9/16, 9/32, 9/64 etc) then this is the time and place to show it off.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

I am quite partial to these odd months, May, July, Sept, Nov, I even incorporated the 13/20 calendar so I could have that 13th moon. Sept usually is my least favorite odd month, it reminds me of going back to school and winter coming. But now that I live in Las Vegas, NV I am welcoming the winter - move over 112F in the shade, I welcome the 70F Winter back. Yeah for 9th month.

So lets celebrate today and invoke this month with some Deadphish in 9, aka Psychedelphia's Nano.

Psychedelphia is a progressive jazz fusion band quartet out of, yup you guested it, PA USA. A while back I received their demo and put them on rotation. I am not sure if its the same line up, but they are certainly still grooving. Many people have tried to bring out the dormant Deadphish in me. It got to a point where I just thought it wasn't in me at all. But that to Psychedelphia they brought it out with 9,7 or 13. Right on!